No wonder we're all glowing about our phones! :)

DROID DOES EVOLUTION also lol

but on the grand scheme of radiation, how much is that? we use microwaves all the time. the droid "does" but does it produce harmful levels?

I'm surprised that they didn't list that the FCC's SAR limit is 1.6 W/kg. If you hit that mark, you're not allowed to sell your phone. Compare that number to the numbers in the list...

Ted is right, it's just barely even under the legal limit. :)

@Tony: I don't think microwaves are rated using specific absorption rate (SAR). Keep in mind that microwaves and cell phones are very different -- a cell phone MUST emit radiation and a microwave definitely must not.

A microwave oven is surrounded by a thick metal box. High frequencies attenuate very quickly as they penetrate that lossy material. (note: we are protected from our ovens not by them being "Faraday cages", as is sometimes misunderstood; the high frequency energy will not necessarily be balanced out by the sluggish reaction of the electrons in the material... however, the phonon-electron interaction within the material will quickly dissipate any radiated energy) So even if you put your head right on top of your microwave while it was ON, you probably wouldn't get much heating.

You cannot surround a cell phone with the same sort of protection because your reception depends upon radiation. The question is how much of that radiation is coupled into your tissue (and whether that even matters).

but even 1.6 W/kg is still 2.4 W/kg per 1g of tissue away from any serious adverse effects.. and those effects were tested on animals, we don't even know exactly the effects it would have on humans

@Tony: Found some specific answers for you about microwave oven radiation leakage.

Scroll down to the section on "SAR" in this document:

http://www.bag.admin.ch/themen/strahlung/00053/00673/03752/index.html?lang=en

Alternatively, look for "Graph 1" in this document:

http://www.arpansa.gov.au/pubs/emr/microwave.pdf

From the first document:

*) At less than 0.1 cm near microwave, 7.95 W/kg.
*) At 5 cm near microwave, 0.256 W/kg.
*) At 30 cm near microwave, 0.0056 W/kg.

The 7.95 W/kg is actually higer than the recommended 4 W/kg for that range. Higher SAR for that range is tolerated for microwave ovens because usually it's just the arms exposed there. The head, a more fragile body part, is in the second category.

@Anonymous: The 4 W/kg limit that you are referencing is the limit for limbs. The limit for torso and head (i.e., heart and brain) is 2 W/kg.

But yes, very little concrete information is known about these things.

LOL. Whatever, it's the price we pay for having the best phone.

P.s. I used my Droid to post these comments.

On a different but related note, did anyone watch the stream of the healthcare summit today? So much of it was filled with the characteristic audio noise arising from electronic interferece from GSM (e.g., AT&T) phones. That noise made me really embarassed to carry a Cingular phone -- I'd walk into a room, and people would know I was coming from down the hall. Sometimes even passive speakers that are disconnected from signal sources would made the GSM noise!

How did ANY AT&T phone get approved for sale given that?

Very happy not to carry a GSM phone anymore.

really good/scary article in the february edition of GQ about radiation from cell phones if you want to read up on it.

Good to know. Thanks for all the great information, Ted!

I rarely use my phone for talking, but I use it for everything else. Glad that I don't put it near my head very often.

haha... it's worth it!!

DROOOOIIID!!

It's a freaking robot for crying out loud.. Were lucky this sucker isn't nuclear.

Thanks for the info guys. I must admit, I feel like I learned something today, at least a little bit. :)

get a headset and hold your phone at arms length at all times.

Cell phone radiation definitely isn't something to be worried about.

OMG the amout of radiation can't be any more than other phones and that amout is almost undetectable i work out on Hanford here in Washington state for them people not sure of the place you can look it and it will fill you in better than i can in this BUT i have used counters some very sensitiv and the gadge hardly moves more than any background radiation so people please don't panic your safe.